Trail shows how important science is to agriculture

The organisations – the National Institute of Agricultural Botany, the John Innes Centre, the Food and Environment Research Agency, Rothamsted Research, the Home Grown Cereals Authority, the British Society of Plant Breeders and the Association of Independent Crop Consultants – will each have a map of the trail that can be picked up from their stands at the show.

Maps will also be available from the NFU stall at the event, which takes place on June 10 and 11 at Vine Farm, Wendy, near Royston, Cambridgeshire.

Meanwhile, growers are being reminded their are still opportunities to sell this season’s milling wheat abroad. The HGCA’s latest export mission showed off the quality of British wheat to buyers from Spain, Portugal, Italy, Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, Tunisia, and Algeria.

Last week’s three-day visit last week involved overseas delegates who had previously bought UK wheat and some who are considering doing so for the first time.

HGCA supply chain manager Emma Finn said: “Not all buyers are covered to the end of season. So there are still opportunities to sell this year’s wheat crop overseas.”

Representatives from Algeria attended the event for the first time this year. The country is a developing market which currently imports around 5.8 million tonnes of wheat each year.

George Forbes, chairman of HGCA’s British cereal exports, said: “The message for UK growers is that we are concerned over the continued production of uks (Group 3) varieties in export areas, particularly the east and southern regions.

“Some very promising, high-yielding, new uks varieties are coming on to the market, which will be attractive to UK growers, and also very suitable for export. Europe and North Africa offer a great marketing opportunity for the UK but we need to produce wheat suitable for their needs.”

Share